Charming as a Verb by Ben Phillipe

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers and Happy 1st of September! This is going to be a busy blogging month for me and I'm hoping to give you all plenty of content. 

So I wanted to start with a review for a book that might not be on your radar yet.  I came across this book on my search for 2020 Black YA Contemporary Romances. Noticing how few were on the shelves I decided last year that I would seek them out and review. Because Black teens deserve to see themselves opposite each other outside of fantasies or the "important" books. I was lucky enough to receive an arc from Edelweiss and Balzer and Bray in exchange for an honest review.

One thing that immediately pulled me into this story was the Haitian-American protagonist Henri Haltiwanger. Henri is a witty kid with a laid back coolness and beloved by his peers. He's not the type of Black boy we usually see in the media. He's not a jock and instead is on the debate team. He's not exclusively dating the hottest girl in school nor is he a player. He's just a smart boy, cool with everyone yet aloof at the same time with hopes and dreams of getting into Columbia University and fulfilling his father's American dream. 

I could relate to the pressure of being the child of Caribbean immigrants and going to private school as they push you to be better and do better than they have. Though if I would ever think to say some of those things he said back to his parents during an argument I would've at the very least had to dodge a shoe flying in my direction. This book tackles being a first generation child without being heavy handed and becoming an "issues" book. 

Henri is not only a hard-worker in academics but he also runs his own dog walking business which is how he ends up getting caught up with Corinne Troy. Corinne lives in his building and her mother enlists Henry to be the dog walker to their new puppy. Another bright young student who attends his elite private school she easily discovers the truth about the exclusive dog walking company and uses it to blackmail him into helping her be more sociable with their peers after a teacher describes her as intense in a recommendation letter.

And while Henri finds himself falling for Corinne and her wit which is a matches his own the more time they spend together he can't help but get the fact that her mother is a dean at Columbia out of his mind. Especially since his bombed interview makes him insecure about being admitted. 

Much of the plot is focused on the pursuit to be accepted into Columbia and it can be a little tedious at times as Henri obsesses over checking his emails and the admissions portals daily. While I was never the excellent student that Henri is I did have a dream school also and it brings back those feelings of wondering what your future will be like.

Set perfectly against an NY backdrop Charming as a Verb is a fun rom-com Black teens will enjoy about discovering your true self and acknowledging that your path may not be the one you think it should be.